A record-bending comeback fuels Buffalo’s 1-0 start
Here’s a stat you almost never see: teams that scored 40+ points and rushed for at least 235 yards were 277-0 all-time. Until Sunday night. The Buffalo Bills snapped that streak in a 41-40 shocker over the Baltimore Ravens, turning a 15-point hole with four minutes left into the kind of Week 1 win that resets the AFC conversation.
Josh Allen didn’t just carry the offense—he bent the game to his will. He finished with 394 passing yards, two touchdown throws, and two rushing scores, pushing his career rushing total to 66 touchdowns, a new franchise record. That dual-threat burst late, when the Bills needed instant offense and perfect execution, was the difference between a good effort and a signature win.
For most of the night, the Ravens looked like bullies with the lead. Lamar Jackson posted a near-perfect passer rating, added 70 rushing yards and a touchdown, and piloted a ground attack that chewed up clock and yardage. Derrick Henry, at 31 and still punishing tacklers, thundered to 169 rushing yards and two scores, plus a handful of receiving yards to keep the chains moving.
Henry’s outing was more than a throwback highlight reel. It was the 13th time in his career he’s hit 150+ rushing yards and two touchdowns in a game, tying Hall of Famer Jim Brown for the most such performances in NFL history. That’s rare air, and it usually pairs with a win. Not this time.
The game flipped in stages. Buffalo found tempo, leaned on designed quarterback movement, and forced Baltimore’s defense to defend every blade of grass. A quick strike cut the margin, a rapid defensive stand kept hope alive, and a final march—Allen mixing precision throws with bruising runs—finished the job. There wasn’t one miracle play so much as a chain of clean, aggressive decisions that squeezed Baltimore’s margin to zero.
The closing sequence will haunt the Ravens. They led by two scores late, had the run game to bleed clock, and still never put the night away. Baltimore’s inability to close isn’t new, and this one lands heavy: it’s the eighth time in the John Harbaugh era the Ravens have lost a game after leading by at least eight in the fourth quarter, the most by any coach since 2000.
Buffalo’s defense won’t frame this as a dominant effort—the Ravens rolled up yards and points—but the Bills did get the critical late stop when the math demanded it. They tightened fits against the run, protected the sidelines, and trusted Allen to do the rest. That last part is the blueprint in Buffalo: keep the game within reach, then let No. 17 tilt it.
What it says about both teams and the AFC race
Week 1 games can be noisy, but some takeaways travel. For Buffalo, this was proof-of-concept for a retooled offense that leans into Allen’s full skill set. Not every Sunday will require that level of hero ball, but when it does, the Bills have the quarterback who can stack chunk plays and finish drives with his legs. The franchise rushing record he set underscores how often he’s been the red-zone solution.
Buffalo also showed the value of tempo shifts. Early, the Ravens controlled pace with power runs and possession. Late, the Bills attacked with hurry-up looks, quick protections, and spread formations to create running lanes for Allen and clean windows underneath. That sped up Baltimore’s front and stretched a secondary forced to chase.
On the other side, the Ravens did so many things right and still walked off with a loss. They dominated on the ground for three and a half quarters, leaned on Henry to wear down the front, and kept Jackson out of obvious passing downs. The problem came when the game flipped from control to chaos. Soft coverage, missed tackles, and conservative moments in clock management let Buffalo steal extra possessions and field position.
It’s easy to say “just run the ball and finish,” and Baltimore did—right up until it couldn’t. Late-game execution requires more than a great run game. It calls for a killer third-down call, a crisp special teams sequence, and situational defense that eliminates explosive plays. The Ravens had none of those at the end, and in a league where margins are thin, that’s how you lose despite 40 points and 235 rushing yards.
Allen’s night will grab the headlines, but it also offers a scouting report for future opponents. Blitz him without contain and he’ll make you pay as a runner. Drop into static zones and he’ll find rhythm throws and turn broken plays into explosives. The Ravens mixed their looks, yet when the pressure peaked, Allen’s improvisation and power running broke their structure.
Lamar Jackson’s efficiency should not get lost here. He took care of the ball, found early rhythm, and turned scrambles into drive-sustaining gains. When paired with Henry’s physicality, it looked like a postseason formula. That it fell apart late is the story, but the core remains: Baltimore’s offense can control games, and most weeks, that’s enough.
If you’re looking for the inflection points, they came in these details: Buffalo’s late-down aggression, a defensive front that finally held the edge, and a Ravens defense that backed off just as Allen hit top gear. Those tiny shifts change outcomes. They also create film that every AFC opponent will study.
For a season opener, it had everything: big numbers, record-book quirks, and a dramatic finish. It also had consequences. In a loaded conference, a road (and mental) win like this can decide a tiebreaker in January. For Baltimore, the lesson stings—close the door, or the best quarterbacks will find a draft of air and kick it off the hinges.
Key numbers that shaped the night:
- 41-40: The final, after Buffalo trailed by 15 with four minutes left.
- 277-0 to 277-1: Teams scoring 40+ with 235+ rushing yards had never lost until the Ravens did.
- 66: Josh Allen’s career rushing touchdowns, a Bills franchise record after his two-score night on the ground.
- 13: Derrick Henry’s 150+ yards and 2+ rushing TD games, tying Jim Brown for the most in NFL history.
- 8: Fourth-quarter, 8+ point leads lost by a John Harbaugh-coached team, most by any coach since 2000.
There’s no neat way to tidy this up for Baltimore. The offense did heavy lifting, the star back tied a legend, the quarterback played clean, and the ground game bludgeoned a good defense. Yet one team had the best player in the final four minutes, and he wore blue and white. Sometimes, that’s the difference between an impressive box score and a win that travels.
